Physical Education P-12 Alternative Class A (Master of Science in Education)

Alternative Class A Programs are for students who completed a non-teaching degree or for students who want to change teaching fields. Completion of the Alternative Class A program leads to the Master’s degree and recommendation for Master’s-level Alabama Class A professional educator certification.

Application Deadlines

Deadline dates for applications and receipt of all required application materials are: 

Date Event
July 1 Fall Admission
November 1 Spring Admission
April 1 Summer Admission

Any exceptions to these deadlines must be granted by the respective graduate program chair.

Application Materials Required for the Alternative Class A Program MSE with a Major in Physical Education (P-12)

Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.)
    Applicants must hold a 2.00 GPA1 on the most recent undergraduate degree or a 3.00 GPA on the most recent master’s degree. This GPA must be documented on the official transcript of the degree-granting regionally accredited institution and must be the GPA that was used as the basis for granting the degree.
  4. If a degree was earned outside the United States, the student must provide a course-by-course and credit hour-by-credit hour degree evaluation prepared by a state-approved agency:
    • Center for Applied Research, Evaluation and Education, Inc.
    • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
    • International Consultants of Delaware
    • International Education Evaluations, Inc.
    • International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
    • Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.
    • World Education Services
    • Please see the ALSDE website for full details.
  5. International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
  6. Alternative Class A Transcript Evaluation. Once transcripts have been received, applicants must contact Teacher Education Services at (256) 782-5574 for an individual evaluation concerning undergraduate course deficiencies and teacher education program eligibility requirements prior to registration for coursework.

Admission Requirements for the Alternative Class A Program MSE with a Major in Physical Education (P-12)

Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.

Admission to graduate studies is not equivalent to unconditional admission to an approved teacher education program.

If applicable, all deficiency courses and teacher education program eligibility requirements must be completed prior to unconditional admission to the teacher education program.

Minimum Requirements for the Alternative Class A Program MSE with a Major in Physical Education (P-12)

An overall 3.25 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.25.

Students not enrolled for a one year period must receive department head approval before continuing coursework in the program and be re-evaluated by Teacher Education Services.

Course Title Credits
Required Courses
ED 501Introduction to Graduate Teacher Education3
HPE 500Foundations of Health and Physical Education3
HPE 510Health and Physical Education Curriculum3
HPE 512Physical Education Methods I3
HPE 513Physical Education Methods II3
HPE 515Assessment in Health and Physical Education3
HPE 520Best Practices in PE3
HPE 535Skill Analysis3
HPE 540Law and Ethics in Wellness and Sports Studies3
HPE 578Research in Wellness and Sports Studies3
HPE 580Adapted Physical Education3
ED 595Internship in Education3
ED 596Reflective Practices in Education 13
SPE 500Survey Course in Special Education 2 3
Total Hours42

 42 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Undergraduate Requirements1

12 semester hours of undergraduate coursework in health and physical education to include the following:

Course Title Credits
BY 263Human Anatomy and Physiology I4
HPE 232Sports Safety and First Aid Training2
HPE 362Kinesiology3
HPE 400Exercise Physiology3
Total Hours12

 42-54 Total Undergraduate and Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Graduation

All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.

Completion of this program and all state required testing leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification in Physical Education (P-12).

Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors. Successful completion of this program includes meeting all requirements including earning a passing score on the edTPA portfolio during the internship semester. Upon completion of this program and any state-required Praxis Subject Assessments, a student will be eligible to apply for the Master's Level Professional Certificate which provides teacher certification for physical education P-12. Teacher Education Programs may be altered to meet changes in Federal and Alabama State Department of Education regulations. 

Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements

Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.

  1. Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact Teacher Education Services, 207 Ramona Wood Hall, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program. Please see the Alabama Certification Instructions on the Teacher Education Services website.
  2. Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of a current program.